Los Angeles County

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT LOS ANGELES COUNTY

While the folks at Morton?s restaurant are committed to catering to the discerning taste buds of their carnivorous clientele who are not in the least bit fazed by a three-figure tab, the eatery is also committed to making sure that food is being served to those who will most likely never cross their threshold. The West Olive Avenue steakhouse last week staged a cocktail reception to assist in beefing up the coffers of its charity partner, Feeding America and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

BURBANK — A North Hollywood pain management doctor awaiting a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to writing illegal prescriptions was found dead last weekend in his Burbank home, police said. Dr. Bernard Bass, 62, was discovered dead at 5:28 p.m. Sunday in the 800 block of East Andover Drive, Burbank Police Sgt. Thor Merich said. The case is being investigated, but police said they do not suspect foul play. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office Thursday confirmed Bass’ body was requested from the funeral home for an examination, toxicology analysis and autopsy, the results of which are expected in four to six weeks.

Complimentary dry cleaning for job hunters Now through Sept. 2, Flair Cleaners of Burbank will be offering complimentary dry cleaning to unemployed people at its five locations, including Burbank and Studio City. The campaign was devised as a way to allow those who are job hunting to show up with confidence in a clean, pressed interview suit without the additional expense, according to the company?s announcement. Los Angeles County residents should bring their most recent unemployment stub and photo identification each Wednesday to any location.

BURBANK — Burbank police officers on Wednesday arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with the Nov. 29 death of his father, Timothy Loock, assistant football coach at Burbank High School. Noah Loock faces one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and was released from custody on $25,000 bond. He is due back in Pasadena Superior Court on July 16, authorities said. The incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Nov. 29, when police responded to a fight at the family home on the 1800 block of North Avon Street.

BURBANK – Burbank Police Officers on Wednesday arrested 19-year-old Noah Loock in connection with the Nov. 29 murder of his father Timothy Loock, assistant football coach at Burbank High School. Noah Loock faces one felony count of involuntary manslaughter and was released from custody on $25,000 bond. He is due back in Pasadena Superior Court on July 16, authorities said. The incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. when police responded to the altercation at the family home in the 1800 block of North Avon Street.

GLENDALE — After a two-year absence from Glendale, the Los Angeles County winter homeless shelter is expected to officially return to the National Guard Armory near downtown, officials said. Glendale’s armory on Colorado Street had hosted the program, which is administered and funded by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, for more than 10 years, but in 2007, it was moved to Burbank to allow for construction and building upgrades. The move to Burbank got a relatively warm reception, but last year, residents living near the Burbank armory started to complain, sparking community meetings and discord on the Burbank City Council on what to do with the shelter.

BURBANK ? City officials met Tuesday afternoon to refine emergency plans on how to get information out to residents should swine flu cases start appearing in the city. If a swine flu outbreak should occur, officials might use the local public broadcast channel 6 to inform residents on what they need to do to protect themselves, said Cinda Cates, a city spokeswoman. Officials have repeatedly told city employees and residents to avoid close contact with people who are exhibiting flu-like symptoms, she said.

An Assembly committee suspended its decision on a bill that would improve outreach efforts for insured cancer screening services for women until the end of the month. Assembly Bill 56, sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, aims to promote awareness for mammography services that are covered under health insurance policies, but that only half of eligible women take advantage of. California law requires mammography services as a benefit in health-care plans.

DOWNTOWN — Glendale and Burbank were the only two Los Angeles County cities to make gains in office rentals in the first quarter of 2009, a stark contrast to the dramatic increase in emptying office buildings across the region. During the first three months of the year, an additional 2.5 million square feet of office space went on the market countywide. That figure grew from 1 million square feet of vacancies from the last quarter of 2008, and just 626,895 square feet last April, according to a new report from real estate firm Grubb & Ellis.